Baseball Training Device

ABSTRACT

A training device for use by a pitcher in practicing throwing a curve ball and a method for using the training device is described.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/941,016, filed Feb. 18, 2014 and entitled “BASEBALL TRAINING DEVICE”,which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

A baseball pitcher's repertoire typically includes several differenttypes of pitches or throwing techniques that impart a distinctive spinand trajectory on the baseball as it travels toward home plate. For adescription of the physics of the flight of a pitched ball, see RobertK. Adair, The Physics of Baseball, Harper & Row, 1990, which isincorporated herein by reference. An important part of the arsenal ofmany pitchers in the curve ball, in which the baseball breaks down andaway from the pitcher's throwing arm as it moves toward batter. To throwa curve ball with precision and control, a pitcher must master aparticular throwing technique, which entails a proper grip on thebaseball and specific movements of the arm, wrist, and hand.Consequently, baseball pitchers at all levels invest a significantamount of time trying to master the art of throwing a curve ball.

To help train pitchers in throwing curve balls, a variety of devices andtechniques have been developed. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,407,193;4,991,838; 4,930,773; and 5,820,495. Because the baseball must rotate onan axis perpendicular to its flight path for a curve ball to have itsdesired trajectory, aids and methods that allow a pitcher-in-training tobetter visualize the spin on the baseball are useful instructionaltools. One such device, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,495, iscomposed essentially of two baseballs held together by a fastener, suchas a bolt or screw. One ball is gripped by the pitcher, and the otherserves as a counterweight. When the device is thrown, the“counterweight” ball rotates centrifugally around the “gripped” ball,enabling the pitcher to see more clearly the axis of rotation thatresults from his delivery.

One problem with the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,495,however, is its weight. Because the device is made from two baseballs,it weighs approximately twice as much as a regulation baseball. Theextra weight of the device makes the device an imperfect substitute fora real baseball and increases the risk of injury to the pitcher.Accordingly, there still exists a need for devices and methods that canbe used to train pitchers to throw curve balls that more closelysimulate the experience of throwing a real baseball.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention is a baseball training device that includesa ball cover member, a counterweight member, and a connecting memberthat connects the ball cover member to the counterweight member. In someembodiments, the ball cover member includes an opening for adding a ballto the interior of said cover member. In some embodiments, the outersurface of the ball cover member includes a baseball stitching pattern.In some embodiments, the stitching pattern has a height from 0 to 1 cm.

In some embodiments, the ball cover member and counterweight member aremade of an elastomeric material. In some embodiments, the elastomericmaterial is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane,polyurea, silicone, and polyvinyl chloride.

In some embodiments, the counterweight member includes an opening foradding a weighted object to the interior of the counterweight member. Insome embodiments, the counterweight member is also a ball cover member,and the weighted object is a ball. In some embodiments, thecounterweight member is weighted and does not require the addition of aweighted object.

In some embodiments the counterweight member is attached to a portion ofthe ball cover member, thereby giving the device an asymmetric weightdistribution.

One aspect of the invention is a training assembly that includes adevice and a ball inserted into the ball cover member. In someembodiments, the assembly includes a weighted object inserted into thecounterweight member. In some embodiments, the assembly weighs between 5and 8 ounces. In some embodiments, the ball cover containing an insertedball forms a sphere having a circumference from about 9.0 to about 9.25inches. In some embodiments, the ball is selected from the groupconsisting of a tennis ball, handball, golf ball, squash ball,racquetball, lacrosse ball, and field hockey ball. In some embodiments,the assembly includes a first ball inserted into the ball cover member,and a weighted object inserted into the counterweight member, thetraining assembly, ball and weighted object each having a weight,wherein the weight of the training assembly is from about 5.0 to about5.25 ounces, and wherein the ball is equal to or greater than the weightof the weighted object. In some embodiments, the weight ratio of theball to weighted object (expressed as percentages of total weight) isabout 50/50, 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, 90/10, or 95/5.

In another aspect, the invention encompasses a kit including a device ofthe invention and one or more balls capable of fitting into the ballcover member. In some embodiments, the kit further includes instructionsfor use of the kit in training a baseball pitcher trainee to throw acurve ball.

In some embodiments, the kit includes a plurality of matched pairsconsisting of a ball and a weighted object, each ball having a weightand capable of fitting into the first ball cover member, and eachweighted object having a weight and capable of fitting into thecounterweight member, wherein the sum of weights of the ball andweighted object for each matched pair is about the same, and wherein aratio of the weights of the ball and the weighted object for eachmatched pair is different. In some embodiments, the ratio of weights ofthe ball and weighted object for each matched pair (expressed aspercentages of total weight) is about 50/50, 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, 90/10,or 95/5.

In another aspect, the invention includes a method of training abaseball pitcher trainee to throw a curve ball, the method including thesteps of: providing a device of the invention and allowing the traineeto throw the device while imparting spin to the device. In someembodiments, the method includes the steps of: providing two or moretraining assemblies of the invention, the first training assembly havinga ball and weighted object with a first weight ratio, the secondtraining assembly having a ball and weighted object with a second weightratio, wherein the first weight ratio is less than the second weightratio; allowing the trainee to throw the first assembly while impartingspin to the assembly for a period; and following completion of theperiod, allowing the trainee to throw the second assembly whileimparting spin to the assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of an embodiment of a training device for throwingcurve balls.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of an embodiment of an assembly including atraining device into which tennis balls have been inserted into the ballcover members.

FIG. 3 is schematic of an embodiment of an assembly including a trainingdevice having an extended connecting member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Devices for use in training baseball pitcher trainees to throw a curveball, such as an over hand or “6/12” curve ball, and methods of theiruse are disclosed herein. The devices include a cover capable of holdinga ball and capable of being gripped by a trainee. The devices alsoinclude a counterweight, which allows the trainee to detect readily thespin on the device after the trainee has thrown the device.

The counterweight may be separate from the cover and attached to thecover by a connecting portion. Alternatively, the counterweight andcover form a single composite structure. In such embodiments, thecounterweight is positioned at one portion of the cover so that thedevice has an asymmetric distribution of weight when a ball is insidethe cover.

The counterweight may have sufficient mass on its own to affect the spinof the device when the device is thrown by the trainee. Alternatively,the counterweight may require the addition of a weighted object toproperly affect the spin of the device when the device is thrown by thetrainee. In such embodiments, the counterweight includes a slit or holeinto which a weighted object can be inserted. The weighted object may bean object of any shape or size that provides appropriate mass to thedevice. The counterweight may itself be a cover capable of holding aball, and the weighted object may be a ball.

As shown in FIG. 1, one embodiment of the invention is a sleeve forencapsulating two selected balls to form a baseball training assembly.Sleeve 10 includes first ball cover member 20, second ball cover member30, and optional connecting member 60. The first and second ball covermembers can be identical or different. First ball cover member 20includes a slit or hole 40 through which a first ball (not shown) can beintroduced into the interior space of the first ball cover member.Similarly, second ball cover member 300 includes slit or hole 50 throughwhich a second ball (not shown) can be introduced into the interiorspace of the second ball cover member. The interior spaces of the firstand second ball cover members may be continuous with each other, or theymay be physically separated. The first and second ball cover members arejoined by connecting member 60. In this embodiment, the counterweightmember is a second ball cover member attached to the first ball covermember by a connecting by a connecting member, and the weighted objectis a second ball. It will be understood, however, that the invention isnot limited by the this example and encompasses other embodiments. Forexample and without limitation, the counterweight member need not be aball cover member; the weighted object need not be a ball; thecounterweight need not accommodate a weighted object; and thecounterweight member need be attached to the ball cover member by aconnecting member.

The sleeve can be formed as a single piece, for example by injectionmolding, or it can be formed by joining separately formed pieces, suchas by gluing or heat welding. Preferably, the sleeve or its componentpieces are formed from an elastic polymer (an elastomer) or rubbermaterial whose elasticity and thickness are adjusted to provide thedesired extensibility, hardness, and weight. For example, the elastomermay be polyurethane, polyurea, silicone, and polyvinyl chloride. In apreferred embodiment, the sleeve is sufficiently elastic so as to allowthe user to insert and remove balls through the slits or holes, andconforms to the balls tightly enough to keep them in place during use,including during the stresses encountered during pitching practice.However, if the sleeve is formed from separate pieces, the connectingmember may be made of a different, less elastic material to keep therelative positions of the first and second ball fixed.

Optionally, the outer surface of the sleeve can possess a baseballstitching pattern. As used herein, a baseball stitching pattern can be atexture, molded-on imitation baseball threads, or actually sewn-onthreads (see structure 80 in FIG. 2) so as to improve the feel andrealism for the user compared to throwing an actual baseball. The heightof the threads on a real baseball can vary according to the regulationsof the league for which the baseball is designed, for example, littleleague, high school, college, or professional. Consequently, the heightof the baseball stitching pattern on the surface of the sleeve can varyas well. For example, the stitching pattern may have a height of lessthan about 0.1 cm, 0.2 cm, 0.3, cm, 0.4 cm, 0.5 cm, 0.6 cm, 0.7 cm, 0.8cm, 0.9 cm, or 1.0 cm. The stitching pattern may be in contrasting colorto the color of the cover. The stitching pattern may contain thread,string, or traditional leather (e.g., horsehide or cowhide) stripsattached to give the outer surface of the device the look and feel of anactual baseball. The stitching pattern may cover the entire sleeve ormay cover only the ball cover member portion.

The ball cover member is essentially spherical and hollow and has theapproximate size of a regulation baseball. For example, when a ballcover member contains a ball, i.e., is “loaded,” it may havecircumference of not less than 9 inches and not more than 9.25 inches,or, in certain embodiments, within +/−1%, 2%, 3%, 5%, 7%, 10%, 20%, 30%,or 50% thereof.

The counterweight member may also be essentially spherical.Alternatively, it may be any other shape that allows the device to spinwhen thrown by the trainee. In certain embodiments, the ball covermember is about the size of a regulation baseball, while thecounterweight member is smaller.

The connecting member can vary in shape, size, and conformation asdesired. In some embodiments, the connecting member fills much of thespace between the two ball cover members to provide a more aerodynamicshape.

The invention also encompasses an assembly in which the sleeve containsa ball in the ball cover member. In some embodiments, the assembly alsoincludes a weighted object contained within the counterweight member. Insome embodiments, the weighted object is also a ball. If present, theball inserted into the counterweight member may be the same as ordifferent from the ball in the ball cover member. Any type of ball thatfits within the ball cover member may be used. Balls that are commonlyavailable for other sporting purposes may be used with the device,provided that they fit within the device. For example, a tennis ball,golf ball, handball, squash ball, racquetball, lacrosse ball, or fieldhockey ball may be inserted into the device. Alternatively, the devicemay be used with balls made specifically for use with the device. Forexample, balls can contain particular materials, such as rubber,plastic, string, yarn, cork, cotton, or leather. Balls can becustom-made to a particular size, for example, having a circumference ofabout 3-4 inches, 4-5 inches 5-6 inches, 6-7 inches, 7-8 inches, or 8-9inches. In embodiments in which balls are used as weighted objects, theballs can be fabricated as pairs so that one ball can be inserted intothe ball cover and the other ball can be inserted into the counterweightmember. Balls can paired so that the two balls are the same size or sothat one ball is larger than the other. Balls in pairs can be matched bycolor so that the balls in a matched pair have the same color but ballsof different pairs have different color. Balls in pairs can also bematched by weight so that the sum of the weights of the two balls inevery pair is the same but the relative weights between the first andsecond ball in each pair is different. For example, first ball andsecond ball of each matched pair can have weight ratios (expressed aspercentages of total weight) of 50/50, 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, 90/10, and95/5.

An important aspect of the invention is the total weight of theassembly, which is the sum of the weights of the sleeve, ball, and, ifpresent, weighted object. For the device to provide a pitchingexperience with the device that accurately simulates pitching with areal baseball, it is desirable that the total weight of the assembly isas close as possible to the weight of a real baseball. Under rule 1.09of Major League Baseball (MLB, seewww.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/index.jsp), a baseball must weigh not lessthan 5 ounces and not more than 5.25 ounces. Therefore, in embodimentsof the invention, the total weight of assembly, is within +/−1%, 2%, 3%,5%, 7%, 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% of the official MLB weight range of abaseball.

Another important aspect of the invention is the distribution of weightwithin the assembly. For assemblies that include a ball and weightedobject, e.g., a first ball and second ball, the distribution of weightwithin the assembly is affected by the relative weights of the ball andweighted object, e.g., first ball and second ball. The ball, e.g., firstball, fits into the ball cover member, which is gripped by the traineeduring use. The weighted object, e.g., second ball, fits into thecounterweight member, which serves to highlight the rotation of theassembly and thus provide information on the trainee's pitchingtechnique. For a novice trainee, it is desirable to have significantfraction of the weight of the assembly come from the weighted object,e.g., second ball. As the trainee's technique becomes more developed,however, it is advantageous to have more of the weight contained withinthe ball cover member and thus come from the ball, e.g., the first ball.Consequently, in some embodiments, the sleeve is provided with matchedpairs of ball and weighted object, e.g., first ball and second ball,such that total weight of each matched pair is the same but the relativeweights between the ball and weighted object, e.g., first ball andsecond ball, in each matched pair differs. For example, a set of matchedpairs may include a ball and weighted object, e.g., first ball andsecond ball, having weight ratios (expressed as percentages of totalweight) of 50/50, 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, 90/10, and 95/5, or any subset ofmatched pairs having these weight ratios.

The devices of the invention can be used to train a baseball pitcher tothrow a curve ball. When the device, ball, and, if present, weightedobject are assembled, the trainee grips the ball cover member andimparts a spin on the assembly with the throwing motion. The spin on theportion containing the ball cover and ball imposes a centrifugal forceon the counterweight, which rotates around the portion containing theball cover and ball. Due to the size of the counterweight, its rotationis readily visible to the trainee.

In embodiments that include a weighted object, the relative difficultyof imparting and detecting the proper spin on the assembled devicevaries depending on the relative weights of the ball and weightedobject. Consequently, it can be advantageous for trainees to use anassembly in which the weight ratio between the ball and weighted objectis adapted for their skill level. A novice can benefit from assembly inwhich the ball and weighted object have approximately equal weights,i.e., a weight ratio (expressed as percentages of total weight) of50/50. In contrast, a more advanced trainee can benefit from an assemblywith a higher weight ratio, which contains more of its weight in theportion containing the ball cover and ball and therefore more closelyapproximates the feel of throwing an actual baseball. Thus, the devicesof the invention can be used in training methods that entail (1)allowing a trainee to throw an assembly having a particular weight ratiobetween ball and weighted object for a period, e.g., as measured bynumber of pitches or by units of time, e.g., minutes, hours, days,weeks, months, etc., so that the trainee can master the spin with thatparticular assembly, and then (2) repeating the exercise with anassembly having a different weight ratio between ball and weightedobject, e.g., a higher weight ratio. The process can be performediteratively until the trainee is ready to graduate from a trainingdevice to a real baseball.

What is claimed is:
 1. A baseball training device comprising a ballcover member, a counterweight member, and a connecting member thatconnects the ball cover member to the counterweight member.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the ball cover member comprises an openingfor adding a ball to the interior of said cover member.
 3. The device ofclaim 1, wherein an outer surface of the ball cover member comprises abaseball stitching pattern.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein thestitching pattern has a height from 0 to 1cm.
 5. The device of claim 1,wherein the ball cover member and counterweight member comprise anelastomeric material.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the elastomericmaterial is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane,polyurea, silicone, and polyvinyl chloride.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein the counterweight member comprises an opening for adding aweighted object to the interior of said counterweight member.
 8. Thedevice of claim 7, wherein the object is a ball.
 9. A baseball trainingdevice comprising a ball cover member and a counterweight attached to aportion of the ball cover member, thereby giving the device anasymmetric weight distribution.
 10. A training assembly comprising thedevice of claim 1 and a ball inserted into the ball cover member. 11.The assembly of claim 10, wherein the assembly weighs between 5 and 8ounces.
 12. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the ball cover member withthe inserted ball forms a sphere having a circumference from about 9.0to about 9.25 inches.
 13. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the ball isselected from the group consisting of a tennis ball, handball, golfball, squash ball, field hockey ball, lacrosse ball, and racquetball.14. A training assembly comprising the device of claim 7, a ballinserted into the ball cover member, and a weighted object inserted intothe counterweight member, said ball, said weighted object, and saidtraining assembly each having a weight, wherein the weight of thetraining assembly is from about 5.0 to about 5.25 ounces, and whereinthe weight of the ball is equal to or greater than the weight of theweighted object.
 15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein a weight ratio ofthe ball to the weighted object is about 50/50, 60/40, 70/30, 80/20,90/10, and 95/5.
 16. A kit comprising: (a) the device of claim 1; and(b) one or more balls capable of fitting into the ball cover member. 17.The kit of claim 16, further comprising instructions for use of the kitin training a baseball pitcher trainee to throw a curve ball.
 18. A kitcomprising: (a) the device of claim 7; (b) a plurality of matched pairsconsisting of a ball and a weighted object, each ball having a weightand being capable of fitting into the ball cover member, and eachweighted object having a weight and being capable of fitting into thecounterweight member, wherein a sum of the weights of the ball and theweighted object for each matched pair is about the same, and wherein aratio of the weights of the ball and the weighted object for eachmatched pair is different.
 19. The kit of claim 18, wherein the ratio ofthe weights of the ball and the weighted object for each matched pair isselected from 50/50, 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, 90/10, and 95/5.
 20. The kitof claim 18, further comprising instructions for use of the kit intraining a baseball pitcher trainee to throw a curve ball.
 21. A methodof training a baseball pitcher trainee to throw a curve ball, the methodcomprising the steps of: (a) providing the baseball training device ofclaim 1; and (b) allowing the trainee to throw the device whileimparting spin to the device.
 22. The method of claim 21, furthercomprising a ball in the ball cover member.
 23. A method of training abaseball pitcher trainee to throw a curve ball, the method comprisingthe steps of: (a) providing a first and second training assemblies ofclaim 14, the first training assembly having a ball and weighted objectwith a first weight ratio, the second training assembly having a balland weighted object with a second weight ratio, wherein the first weightratio is less than the second weight ratio; (b) allowing the trainee tothrow the first assembly while imparting spin to the assembly for aperiod; and (c) following completion of the period, allowing the traineeto throw the second assembly while imparting spin to the assembly.